Health Services in Preschool and School
Children spend a large portion of their time in preschool and school in years that are critical to their physical, cognitive, and social development. As part of the school year, certain activities are conducted to promote health and prevent diseases, to identify common health problems, and to educate on a healthy lifestyle.
In school, health services are provided from first to ninth grade. Most of the activities are the responsibility of the regular nurse, who is an integral part of the school staff.
Completion of the health declaration in the beginning of the year
In the beginning of every school year, the Ministry of Education sends parents a request to complete a ‘health declaration.' The declaration provides important information about the state of your child’s health, for example information on chronic diseases, regular medications, allergies, and so on. It allows the school to help the schoolchildren where necessary. For example, in the case of a food allergy, the introduction of specific food into the classroom or school will be restricted. Schoolchildren with a vision or hearing impairment – will be seated in the first rows, near the teacher. With regards to chronic diseases such as epilepsy or diabetes, schoolchildren can always receive assistance depending on their needs. The health declaration is also the place to mention any restrictions regarding certain activities such as screening tests or vaccinations.
The form may be completed manually or online by logging into the Ministry of Education portal with the parent’s ID number. For more information about health services for schoolchildren, contact the school secretary to request the contact details of the school nurse. Information can also be obtained from the nurses’ hotline that is part of the Ministry of Health Hotline *5400.
Health care in preschool
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1Keeping Your Teeth Healthy
Practical instruction on brushing teeth and applying fluoride varnish to prevent cavities.
More information on dental check-ups and cavity prevention in preschool
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2Vision Screenings
The photoscreening test detects risk factors for "lazy eye," such as strabismus or differences in visual acuity between the eyes. It is conducted for children ages 3–4 (preschool) using a child-friendly photoscreener—a scanning device similar to a camera that examines the eyes from a distance without physical contact.
Health care in school
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1Screening Tests for Vision, Hearing, and Growth Assessment
Throughout the school years, screening tests are conducted to identify students who may have health issues or conditions that could affect their daily functioning and academic performance. The goal is to inform parents and refer them for further care if needed.
These are the screenings performed in educational institutions:
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2Dental Checkups, Instruction, and Cavity Prevention Actions
Maintaining oral health is very important during childhood. In schools, annual dental checkups are conducted, and if necessary, parents are advised to visit a dental clinic. Additionally, experiential learning about maintaining oral and dental health is held in schools using the "Shenli" educational program, along with the annual distribution of toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Learn more about dental checkups and cavity prevention in school and kindergarten
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3Providing Vaccinations According to the Routine Vaccination Schedule
Vaccinations are the most effective and safest way we have to protect against infectious diseases that can be severe and dangerous. Students receive booster doses ("booster shots") of vaccines they received previously at the well-baby clinic, as well as additional vaccines (against the flu and the human papillomavirus). The school nurse is responsible for administering the vaccines.
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4Health education and promotion
Health education lessons aim to provide students with up-to-date professional information about maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle and preventing risky behaviors. Each class is entitled to one lesson per year on various topics, depending on age: nutrition, physical activity, personal hygiene, smoking and addiction prevention, reducing screen time, violence prevention, and more. The lessons are taught by the school nurse.
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5Consultation and guidance on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
As part of the growth assessment conducted at school, the school nurse is responsible for providing guidance and support to the educational staff, students, and parents on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing diseases. The counseling is not individualized, and if necessary, they will refer parents to relevant medical professionals.
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6Training for educational staff to respond to special health situations.
The educational staff will receive training on how to assist students in special situations, such as allergies, epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, and other chronic diseases, as well as training on providing first aid, such as using an epinephrine auto-injector.
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7Initiating, implementing, and participating in health promotion programs
The school nurse, together with the educational staff, is responsible for developing school-based health promotion programs and organizing special health days at the school (called "highlight days"), with various stations and activities focused on a selected topic.
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8First aid
First aid services for students are the responsibility of the Ministry of Education. In case of injury or harm that occurs during school hours or during an official school or kindergarten activity, initial medical treatment will be provided by a medic or healthcare provider from Magen David Adom (MDA) (hotline 2326*).
By law, educational institutions and public places are required to have an epinephrine syringe available in case of an emergency.
For more information on first aid services in educational institutions
Health care provided in preschool
Protecting dental health
Practical education on brushing teeth and application of fluoride to prevent tooth decay.
More on dental health and prevention of tooth decay
Vision screening test
A photoscreening test for the detection of risk factors for ‘lazy eye’, strabismus or differences in visual acuity between the two eyes. The test is performed for schoolchildren 3-4 years old (preschool) with a photoscreener for children, a screening device similar to a camera that examines the eyes from a distance and with no physical contact.
More about vision screening in preschool
Health services provided in elementary school
Screening tests for vision, hearing and growth assessment
During the school years, screenings are conducted to identify students who have health issues or problems that may affect their daily functioning and academic achievements, in order to inform the parents and refer them to further treatment that will help them.
The tests below are carried out in educational institutions:
Dental examination, education and actions for the prevention of tooth decay
Protecting oral health is extremely important during childhood. In schools, annual dental check-ups are performed and, if necessary, parents are given a recommendation to visit a dental clinic. In addition, schools provide hands-on education about protecting oral and dental health with the help of the Shen-Li courseware and by annually distributing toothbrush and toothpaste.
More on dental exam and prevention of tooth decay in preschool and school
Administration of vaccines according to the immunization schedule
Vaccines are the most effective and safest way we have to protect ourselves from potentially serious and dangerous infectious diseases. At school, pupils receive a booster shot for vaccines they previously received in the Family Health Center, as well as other vaccines (influenza and the human papillomavirus). The school nurse is responsible for administering the vaccines.
More on the vaccines administered at school
Health education and promotion
Health education classes are designed to provide pupils with the latest professional information about an active, healthy lifestyle as well as prevent risky behaviors. Once a year, every class is entitled to a lesson on various age-appropriate subjects: nutrition, physical activity, personal hygiene, prevention of smoking and addictions, reducing screen time, prevention of violence and more. The school nurse is responsible for teaching the lessons.
Counseling and training on maintaining a healthy lifestyle
As part of the growth assessment that performed at school, the school nurse is responsible for counseling and instructing the educational staff, schoolchildren and parents on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention. Counseling is not individual, and if necessary, they will refer the parents to relevant medical professionals.
Training the educational staff on providing a response to special health conditions
The educational staff will receive training on how to help students with certain conditions, such as allergies, epilepsy, diabetes, asthma and other chronic diseases, and will receive training on providing first aid, such as using an epinephrine injector.
Initiatives, operations and partnerships in health promotion programs
The school nurse is responsible, together with the educational staff, for creating school programs that promote health in addition to holding special health days in the school (called “record days"), with various stations and activities on a chosen topic.
First aid
First aid services for schoolchildren are the responsibility of the Ministry of Education. In the event of an injury that occurs during school hours or during official activities of the school or preschool, initial medical treatment will be provided by a paramedic of MDA (*2326 hotline).
According to law, educational institutions and public venues are required to keep an epinephrine injector readily available for emergencies.
For more information about first aid services in educational institutions (Hebrew)
Health activities in preschool and school by grade level
Vision Screening "Photoscreening" to Identify Risk Factors for Lazy Eye.
Practical training in brushing teeth and applying fluoride varnish to prevent tooth decay.
Practical training in brushing teeth and applying fluoride varnish to prevent tooth decay.
Screening test to detect vision impairments to enable early treatment.
Screening test to detect hearing impairments to enable early treatment.
Measuring height and weight and calculating BMI to ensure they are within the normal growth range.
Dental checkup and experiential learning on maintaining dental health.
Health education lessons providing professional information on active and healthy lifestyles and risk prevention.
Dental checkup and experiential learning on maintaining dental health.
Health education lessons providing professional information on active and healthy lifestyles and risk prevention.
Dental checkup and experiential learning on maintaining dental health.
Health education lessons providing professional information on active and healthy lifestyles and risk prevention.
Dental checkup and experiential learning on maintaining dental health.
Health education lessons providing professional information on active and healthy lifestyles and risk prevention.
Dental checkup and experiential learning on maintaining dental health.
Health education lessons providing professional information on active and healthy lifestyles and risk prevention.
Dental checkup and experiential learning on maintaining dental health.
Health education lessons providing professional information on active and healthy lifestyles and risk prevention.
Dental checkup and experiential learning on maintaining dental health.
Health education lessons providing professional information on active and healthy lifestyles and risk prevention.
Combined vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap)
HPV vaccine (2 doses)**
Vision screening to detect impairments for timely treatment.
Health education lessons provide professional information on an active, healthy lifestyle and risk prevention.
Health education lessons provide professional information on an active, healthy lifestyle and risk prevention.
* In the southern and northern districts, the vaccine may be given in first grade instead of second grade.
** In special education, the flu vaccine is given to students in grades 1–6.
*** In the southern, central, Haifa, and northern districts (excluding the Safed subdistrict), the first dose is given in seventh grade.
Contacting the school health staff
Health care for students in Israel are provided by different suppliers. To contact the school nurse, you can contact the school secretariat or call the institution that oversees them, according to the place of residence:
For dental exams, contact the school office to get the details of the examining provider.
For vision screening services in preschools, contact Milgam:
- Sunday–Thursday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, Friday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
- Phone: 073-2088430
- Email: sight@milgam.co.il
Health Recommendations for Children and Teens
Keeping children healthy goes beyond vaccinations, check-ups, and emergency care. Many aspects of their well-being are important to understand in depth to help create and maintain a healthy lifestyle for the younger generation in your family: